Ubisoft Sees The Division As a Franchise, Plans on Building It For Years

We chat with Julian Gerighty, the associate creative director for The Division, about Ubisoft’s plans for the property and continued support following its debut.

It won’t be long now until gamers are booting up Tom Clancy’s The Division and jumping into a chaotic, virus-ridden version of New York City. While the game seems promising for those wanting to team up with friends online and score some digital loot, the game’s success will ultimately come down to how well Ubisoft supports the title post-launch. Evidently, the company has some serious plans for the game for the months, and apparently even years, after it arrives this March.

I was given the opportunity of chatting with the associate creative director for The Division, Julian Gerighty, during a recent media event in New York City. During my time with him, we discussed many things ranging from comparisons between his game and Destiny to why the title was in development for so many years, but I was curious to find out how Ubisoft saw The Division going forward and what kind of support the company had planned for it in the wake of its release.

“I think Ubisoft sees The Division as a franchise. I just want to get this game out and support this game, and really focus on building this experience over the next few years. Because, you know, today you can’t just release a game and forget about it. This is an online enabled game. We know people are going to be playing hours and hours of content and they’re wanting to be entertained for more. So, we’re going to do free updates, we’re going to do DLCs. There’s a whole content plan for at least 12 months after launch.”

As with any new IP, Ubisoft is looking to make an investment in the property it has created, so hearing that the publisher would like to turn The Division into a series isn’t all that shocking. What’s more impressive is the intent that Ubi has to support the game for at least 12 months following its launch via ample updates and downloadable content. It’s a similar strategy to what has been implemented in Destiny, and that has worked rather well for Bungie and Activision thus far. That said, further support will likely only come if the game manages to sell well, which is something hopeful players would be wise to keep in mind.

What kind of content would you like to see added to The Division at this point in time? Get at us in the comments.

The Division will arrive for PlayStation 4, Xbox One, and PC on March 8, 2016.